Presenting the 1958 Hong Kong Cha-Cha Champion: Bruce Lee | Dangerous Minds Presenting the 1958 Hong Kong Cha-Cha Champion: Bruce Lee 03.22.2013 Tags: Some great shots of Bruce Lee during his competitive dancing years. The man was dashing in every endeavor, wasn’t he? There’s even a bit of footage, proving the versatility of his elegance and grace beyond fight choreography. Photos of Bruce Lee Dancing the Cha Cha - hongwrong.com Home » Blog » HISTORY – Photos of the 1958 Hong Kong Cha Cha Championship Winner HISTORY – Photos of the 1958 Hong Kong Cha Cha Championship Winner 11 That’s right, Hong Kong’s 1958 Cha Cha Championship winner was none other than a teenage Bruce Lee… Lee studied dancing as assiduously as he did Kung Fu… He kept a notebook in which he had noted 108 different Cha Cha steps… A year later, he emigrated to San Francisco with $100 in his pocket.

His passage to the US was in the lower decks of a ship, but it didn’t take long for Bruce to be invited up to the First Class to teach the passengers the Cha Cha… His first job in America was as a dancing instructor, though – by the time he had moved to Seattle – he had left his Cha Cha days behind… Related Posts: If Bruce Lee can cha cha, anyone can! Polito If Bruce Lee can cha cha, anyone can! Sasori BRUCE LEE CHA CHA CHAMPION 1958 | I Love Old Photos I Love Old Photos Enjoying Old Photos. The True Source of History. Menu BRUCE LEE CHA CHA CHAMPION 1958 Bruce Lee was the 1958 Hong Kong Cha Cha Dancing Champion… Share this: Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Email (required) (Address never made public) Name (required) You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out / Change ) You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out / Change ) You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out / Change ) You are commenting using your Google+ account.

( Log Out / Change ) The 1958 Hong Kong Cha Cha Champion is......... | Dance Forums The 1958 Hong Kong Cha Cha Champion is......... Mr 4 styles Well-Known Member BRUCE LEE!!!!!!!!! Newsweek put out a 75th anniversary of the Dragon freestanding edition chronicling many aspects of Bruce Lee's life. I had studied Jeet Kun Do starting as a 15 year old and had somehow never learned of Bruce's Ballroom dancing experience. Its said, while learning, he had cue cards for 108 cha cha steps!!!. There are stills and footage of Bruce dancing online. I have always felt that martial arts experience has helped my dancing both mentally and physically. Others have alluded to this as well. Clearly if Bruce did it.............this fact must be true One more reason to admire Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee - Videos and Picture Gallery Bruce Lee Death Bruce Lee was an American-born martial artist, philosopher, instructor, martial arts actor and the founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts system, widely regarded as the most influential martial artist of the 20th century and a cultural icon.

Bruce Lee was born in the hour of the dragon, between 6-8 a.m., in the Year of the Dragon according to the Chinese zodiac calendar, November 27, 1940 at the Chinese Hospital in San Franciscoï¿½s Chinatown in the United States. Bruce Lee birthplace was San Francisco, California although he was raised in Hong Kong. Lee's Hong Kong and Hollywood-produced films elevated the traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level of popularity and acclaim, and sparked the first major surge of interest in Chinese martial arts in the West. The direction and tone of Lee's films changed and influenced martial arts and martial arts films in Hong Kong and the rest of the world as well. Lee became an iconic figure particularly to the Chinese, as he portrayed Chinese national pride and Chinese nationalism in his movies. Many see Lee as a model blueprint for acquiring a strong and efficient body and the highest possible level of physical fitness, as well as developing a mastery of martial arts and hand to hand combat skills. Bruce Lee's Education At age 12, Lee entered La Salle College and later he attended St. Francis Xavier's College.

In 1959, at the age of 18, Lee got into a fight and badly beat his opponent, getting into trouble with the police. His father became concerned about young Bruce's safety, and as a result, he and his wife decided to send Bruce to the United States to live with an old friend of his father's. Lee left with $100 in his pocket and the titles of 1958 Boxing Champion and the Crown Colony Cha Cha Champion of Hong Kong. After living in San Francisco, he moved to Seattle to work for Ruby Chow, another friend of his father's. In 1959, Lee completed his high school education in Seattle and received his diploma from Edison Technical School. He enrolled at the University of Washington as a drama major and took some philosophy classes. Bruce Lee's Martial Arts Training and Development Bruce Lee's first introduction to martial arts was through his father, Lee Hoi Cheun. He learned the fundamentals of Wu style Tai Chi Chuan from his father. Lee's sifu, Wing Chun master Yip Man, was also a colleague and friend of Hong Kong's Wu style Tai Chi Chuan teacher Wu Ta-ch'i.

Lee trained in Wing Chun Gung Fu from age 13-18 under Hong Kong Wing Chun Sifu Yip Man. Lee was introduced to Yip Man in early 1954 by William Cheung, then a live-in student of Yip Man. Like most Chinese martial arts schools at that time, Sifu Yip Man's classes were often taught by the highest ranking students. One of the highest ranking students under Yip Man at the time was Wong Shun-Leung. Wong is thought to have had the largest influence on Bruce's training. Yip Man trained Lee privately after some students refused to train with Lee due to his ancestry. Bruce was also trained in Western boxing and won the 1958 Boxing Championship match against 3-time champion Gary Elms by knockout in the 3rd round. Before arriving to the finals against Elms, Lee had knocked out 3 straight boxers in the first round. In addition, Bruce learned western fencing techniques from his brother Peter Lee, who was a champion fencer at the time. This multi-faceted exposure to different fighting arts would later play an influence in the creation of the eclectic martial art Jeet Kune Do.

Jun Fan Gung Fu Bruce Lee began teaching martial arts after his arrival in the United States in 1959. Originally trained in Wing Chun Gung Fu, Lee called what he taught Jun Fan Gung Fu. Jun Fan Gung Fu (literally Bruce's Gung Fu), is basically a slightly modified approach to Wing Chun Gung Fu. Lee taught friends he met in Seattle, starting with Judo practitioner Jesse Glover as his first student and who later became his first assistant instructor. Before moving to California, Lee opened his first martial arts school, named the Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, in Seattle. Bruce Lee also improvised his own kicking method, involving the directness of Wing Chun and the power of Northern Shaolin kung fu. Lee's kicks were delivered very quickly to the target, without "chambering" the leg. Jeet Kune Do Rare footage of Bruce Lee in Long Beach Jeet Kune Do originated in 1965. A match with Wong Jack Man influenced Lee's philosophy on fighting. Lee believed that the fight had lasted too long and that he had failed to live up to his potential using Wing Chun techniques.

He took the view that traditional martial arts techniques were too rigid and formalistic to be practical in scenarios of chaotic street fighting. Lee decided to develop a system with an emphasis on "practicality, flexibility, speed, and efficiency". He started to use different methods of training such as weight training for strength, running for endurance, stretching for flexibility, and many others which he constantly adapted. Lee emphasized what he called "the style of no style". This consisted of getting rid of a formalized approach which Lee claimed was indicative of traditional styles. Because Lee felt the system he now called Jun Fan Gung Fu was too restrictive, it was developed into a philosophy and martial art he would come to call (after the name was suggested by Dan Inosanto) Jeet Kune Do or the Way of the Intercepting Fist. It is a term he would later regret because Jeet Kune Do implied specific parameters that styles connote whereas the idea of his martial art was to exist outside of parameters and limitations.

1964 Long Beach International Karate Championships At the invitation of Ed Parker, Lee appeared in the 1964 Long Beach International Karate Championships and performed repetitions of two-finger pushups (using the thumb and the index finger) with feet at approximately a shoulder-width apart. In the same Long Beach event he also performed the "One inch punch". The description of which is as follows: Lee stood upright, his right foot forward with knees bent slightly, in front of a standing, stationary partner. Lee's right arm was partly extended and his right fist approximately an inch away from the partner's chest. Without retracting his right arm, Lee then forcibly delivered the punch to his partner while largely maintaining his posture, sending the partner backwards and falling into a chair said to be placed behind the partner to prevent injury, though the force of gravity caused his partner to soon after fall onto the floor. His volunteer was Bob Baker of Stockton, California. "I told Bruce not to do this type of demonstration again", he recalled. "When he punched me that last time, I had to stay home from work because the pain in my chest was unbearable.

The Unstoppable Punch Bruce Lee also appeared at the 1967 Long Beach International Karate Championships and performed various demonstrations, including the famous "unstoppable punch" with USKA world karate champion Vic Moore. Bruce would announce to Vic Moore that he was going to throw a straight punch to his face, and all he had to do was block it. He would take several steps back and ask if Moore was ready, when Moore nodded in affirmation, Lee would glide towards him until he was within striking range. He would then throw a straight punch directly at Moore's face and stop before impact. In eight attempts, Moore blocked zero punches. Bruce Lee's Physical feats Lee's phenomenal fitness meant he was capable of performing many exceptional physical feats. The following list are the physical feats that are documented and supported by reliable sources. Lee's striking speed from three feet with his hands down by his side reached five hundredths of a second. Lee could spring a 235 lb (107 kg) opponent 15 feet (4.6 meters) away with a 1 inch punch.

Lee's combat movements were at times too fast to be captured on film at 24fps, so many scenes were shot in 32fps to put Lee in slow motion. Normally martial arts films are sped up. Lee could perform push ups using only his thumbs Lee would hold an elevated v-sit position for 30 minutes or longer. In a speed demonstration, Lee could snatch a dime off a person's open palm before they could close it, and leave a penny behind. Lee performed one-hand push-ups using only the thumb and index finger Lee performed 50 reps of one-arm chin-ups. From a standing position, Lee could hold a 125 lb (57 kg) barbell straight out. Lee could break wooden boards 6 inches (15 cm) thick. Lee performed a side kick while training with James Coburn and broke a 150-lb (68 kg) punching bag Lee could cause a 300-lb (136 kg) bag to fly towards and thump the ceiling with a side kick.

In a move that has been dubbed "Dragon Flag", Lee could perform leg lifts with only his shoulder blades resting on the edge of a bench and suspend his legs and torso perfectly horizontal midair. Lee could thrust his fingers through unopened steel cans of Coca-Cola, at a time before cans were made of the softer aluminum metal. Lee could use one finger to leave dramatic indentations on pine wood. Bruce Lee's Philosophy Even though Bruce Lee is best known as a martial artist and actor, Lee majored in philosophy at the University of Washington. Lee himself was well-read and had an extensive library. His own books on martial arts and fighting philosophy are known for their philosophical assertions both inside and outside of martial arts circles. His eclectic philosophy often mirrored his fighting beliefs, though he was quick to claim that his martial arts were solely a metaphor for such teachings. His influences include Taoism, Jiddu Krishnamurti, and Buddhism. The following quotes and quotations reflect his fighting philosophy: "To tell the truth....I could beat anyone in the world." "If I tell you I'm good, you would probably think I'm boasting.

If I tell you I'm no good, you know I'm lying." "Fighting is not something sought after, yet it is something that seeks you." "Be formless... shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle; it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot; it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, and it can crash. Be like water, my friend..." "Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it." "The more relaxed the muscles are, the more energy can flow through the body. Using muscular tensions to try to 'do' the punch or attempting to use brute force to knock someone over will only work to opposite effect." "Mere technical knowledge is only the beginning of Gung Fu. To master it, one must enter into the spirit of it." "There are lots of guys around the world that are lazy. They have big fat guts. They talk about chi power and things they can do, but don't believe it." "I'm not a master.

I'm a student-master, meaning that I have the knowledge of a master and the expertise of a master, but I'm still learning. So I'm a student-master. I don't believe in the word 'master.' I consider the master as such when they close the casket." "Do not deny the classical approach, simply as a reaction, or you will have created another pattern and trapped yourself there." "Jeet Kune Do: it's just a name; don't fuss over it. There's no such thing as a style if you understand the roots of combat." "Unfortunately, now in boxing people are only allowed to punch. In Judo, people are only allowed to throw. I do not despise these kinds of martial arts. What I mean is, we now find rigid forms which create differences among clans, and the world of martial art is shattered as a result." "I think the high state of martial art, in application, must have no absolute form.

And, to tackle pattern A with pattern B may not be absolutely correct." "True observation begins when one is devoid of set patterns." "The other weakness is, when clans are formed, the people of a clan will hold their kind of martial art as the only truth and do not dare to reform or improve it. Thus they are confined in their own tiny little world. Their students become machines which imitate martial art forms." "Some people are tall; some are short. Some are stout; some are slim. There are various different kinds of people. If all of them learn the same martial art form, then who does it fit?" "Ultimately, martial art means honestly expressing yourself. It is easy for me to put on a show and be cocky so I can show you some really fancy movement. But to express oneself honestly, not lying to oneself, and to express myself honestly enough; that, my friend, is very hard to do." Bruce Lee Death Bruce Lee's head stone in Lake View Cemetery, Seattle U.S. A foreshadowing of events of Bruce Lee's death to come occurred on May 10, 1973 when Lee collapsed in Golden Harvest studios while doing dubbing work for Enter the Dragon.

Suffering from full-body seizures and cerebral edema, he was immediately rushed to Hong Kong Baptist Hospital where doctors were able to reduce the swelling through the administration of Mannitol and revive him. These same symptoms that occurred in his first collapse were later repeated on the day of his death. On July 20, 1973, Lee was in Hong Kong, due to have dinner with former James Bond star George Lazenby, with whom he intended to make a film. According to Lee's wife Linda, Lee met producer Raymond Chow at 2 p.m. at home to discuss the making of the movie Game of Death. They worked until 4 p.m. and then drove together to the home of Lee's colleague Betty Ting Pei, a Taiwanese actress. The three went over the script at Pei's home, and then Chow left to attend a dinner meeting. A short time later, Bruce Lee complained of a headache, and Ting Pei gave him an analgesic (painkiller), Equagesic, which contained both aspirin and a muscle relaxant. Around 7:30 p.m., he went to lie down for a nap.

After Bruce did not turn up for dinner, Chow came to the apartment but could not wake him up. A doctor was summoned, who spent ten minutes attempting to revive him before sending him by ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. However, Lee was dead by the time he reached the hospital. There was no visible external injury; however, his brain had swollen considerably, from 1,400 to 1,575 grams (a 13% increase). Bruce Lee was 32 years old when he died. The only two substances found during the autopsy were Equagesic and trace amounts of cannabis. On October 15, 2005, Chow stated in an interview that Lee died from a hypersensitivity to the muscle relaxant in Equagesic, which he described as a common ingredient in painkillers.

When the doctors announced Bruce Lee's death officially, it was ruled a "death by misadventure." Bruce Lee - Biography - IMDb Bruce Lee Biography Showing all 105 items Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trade Mark (8) | Trivia (63) | Personal Quotes (24) | Salary (4) Overview (4) 5' 7½" (1.71 m) Mini Bio (1) Bruce Lee remains the greatest icon of martial arts cinema and a key figure of modern popular media. Had it not been for Bruce Lee and his movies in the early 1970s, it's arguable whether or not the martial arts film genre would have ever penetrated and influenced mainstream North American and European cinema and audiences the way it has over the past four decades. The influence of East Asian martial arts cinema can be seen today in so many other film genres including comedies, action, drama, science fiction, horror and animation.....and they all have their roots in the phenomenon that was Bruce Lee.

Lee was born "Lee Jun Fan" November twenty-seventh 1940 in San Francisco, the son of Lee Hoi Chuen, a singer with the Cantonese Opera. Approximately one year later the family returned to Kowloon in Hong Kong and at the age of five years, a young Bruce begins appearing in children's roles in minor films including The Birth of Mankind (1946) and Fu gui fu yun (1948). At the age of 12, Bruce commenced attending La Salle College. Bruce was later beaten up by a street gang, which inspired him to take up martial arts training under the tutelage of "Sifu Yip Man" who schooled Bruce in wing chun kung fu for a period of approximately five years. This was the only formalized martial arts training ever undertaken by Lee. The talented & athletic Bruce also took up cha-cha dancing and, at the age of 18, won a major dance championship in Hong Kong. However, his temper and quick fists got him in trouble with the Hong Kong police on numerous occasions. His parents suggested that he head off to the United States.

Lee landed in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1959 and worked in a close relative's restaurant. He eventually made his way to Seattle, Washington, where he enrolled at university to study philosophy and found the time to practice his beloved kung fu techniques. In 1963, Lee met Linda Lee Cadwell (aka Linda Emery) (later his wife) and also opened his first kung fu school at 4750 University Way. During the early half of the 1960s, Lee became associated with many key martial arts figures in the USA, including kenpo karate expert Ed Parker and tae kwon do master Jhoon Rhee . He made guest appearances at notable martial arts events including the Long Beach Nationals. Through one of these tournaments Bruce met Hollywood hair-stylist Jay Sebring who introduced him to T.V. producer William Dozier . Based on the runaway success of Batman (1966), Dozier was keen to bring the cartoon character of The Green Hornet to T.V. and was on the lookout for an East Asian actor to play the Green Hornet's sidekick, Kato.

Around this time Bruce also opened a second kung fu school in Oakland, California and relocated to Oakland to be closer to Hollywood. Bruce's screen test was successful, and The Green Hornet (1966) starring Van Williams aired in 1966 with mixed success. His fight scenes were sometimes obscured by unrevealing camera angles, but his dedication was such that he insisted his character behave like a perfect bodyguard, keeping his eyes on whoever might be a threat to his employer except when the script made this impossible. The show was surprisingly terminated after only one season (twenty-six episodes), but by this time Lee was receiving more fan mail than the show's nominal star. He then opened a third branch of his kung fu school in Los Angeles and began providing personalized martial arts training to celebrities including film stars Steve McQueen and James Coburn as well as screenwriter Stirling Silliphant . In addition he refined his prior knowledge of wing chun and incorporated aspects of other fighting styles such as traditional boxing and Okinawan karate. He also developed his own unique style "Jeet Kune Do" (Way of the Intercepting Fist).

Another film opportunity then came his way as he landed the small role of a stand over man named "Winslow Wong" who intimidates private eye James Garner in Marlowe (1969). Wong pays a visit to Garner and proceeds to demolish the investigator's office with his fists and feet, finishing off with a spectacular high kick that shatters the light fixture. With this further exposure of his talents, Bruce then scored several guest appearances as a martial arts instructor to blind private eye James Franciscus on the TV series Longstreet (1971). With his minor success in Hollywood and money in his pocket, Bruce returned for a visit to Hong Kong and was approached by film producer Raymond Chow who had recently started "Golden Harvest" productions. Chow was keen to utilize Lee's strong popularity amongst young Chinese fans, and offered him the lead role in The Big Boss (1971), (aka "The Big Boss", aka Fists Of Fury"). In it, Lee plays a distant cousin coming to join relatives working at an ice house, where murder, corruption, and drug-running lead to his character's adventures and display of Kung-Fu expertise.

The film was directed by Wei Lo , shot in Thailand on a very low budget and in terrible living conditions for cast and crew. However, when it opened in Hong Kong the film was an enormous hit. Chow knew he had struck box office gold with Lee and quickly assembled another script entitled The Chinese Connection (1972) (aka "Fist Of Fury", aka "The Chinese Connection"). The second film (with a slightly bigger budget) was again directed by Wei Lo and was set in Shanghai in the year 1900, with Lee returning to his school to find that his beloved master has been poisoned by the local Japanese karate school. Once again he uncovers the evil-doers and sets about seeking revenge on those responsible for murdering his teacher and intimidating his school. The film features several superb fight sequences and, at the film's conclusion, Lee refuses to surrender to the Japanese law and seemingly leaps to his death in a hail of police bullets. Once more, Hong Kong streets were jammed with thousands of fervent Chinese movie fans who could not get enough of the fearless Bruce Lee, and his second film went on to break the box office records set by the first!

Lee then set up his own production company, Concord Productions, and set about guiding his film career personally by writing, directing and acting in his next film, The Way of the Dragon (1972) (aka "Return of The Dragon"). A bigger budget meant better locations and opponents, with the new film set in Rome, Italy and additionally starring hapkido expert Ing-Sik Whang , karate legend Robert Wall and seven-time U.S. karate champion Chuck Norris . Bruce plays a seemingly simple country boy sent to assist at a cousin's restaurant in Rome and finds his cousins are being bullied by local thugs for protection. By now, Lee's remarkable success in East Asia had come to the attention of Hollywood film executives and a script was hastily written pitching him as a secret agent penetrating an island fortress. Warner Bros. financed the film and also insisted on B-movie tough guy John Saxon starring alongside Lee to give the film wider appeal. The film culminates with another show-stopping fight sequence between Lee and the key villain, Han, in a maze of mirrors. Shooting was completed in and around Hong Kong in early 1973 and in the subsequent weeks Bruce was involved in completing overdubs and looping for the final cut.

Various reports from friends and coworkers cite that he was not feeling well during this period and on July twentieth 1973 he lay down at the apartment of actress Betty Ting Pei after taking a head-ache tablet and was later unable to be revived. A doctor was called and Lee was taken to hospital by ambulance and pronounced dead that evening. The official finding was death due to a cerebral edema, caused by a reaction to the head-ache tablet. Fans world-wide were shattered that their virile idol had passed at such a young age, and nearly thirty thousand fans filed past his coffin in Hong Kong. A second, much smaller ceremony was held in Seattle, Washington and Bruce was laid to rest at Lake View Cemetary in Seattle with pall bearers including Steve McQueen , James Coburn and Dan Inosanto . Enter the Dragon (1973) was later released in the mainland United States, and was a huge hit with audiences there, which then prompted National General films to actively distribute his three prior movies to U.S. theatres... each was a box office smash.

Fans throughout the world were still hungry for more Bruce Lee films and thus remaining footage (completed before his death) of Lee fighting several opponents including Dan Inosanto , Hugh O'Brian and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was crafted into another film titled Game of Death (1978). The film used a look-alike and shadowy camera work to be substituted for the real Lee in numerous scenes. The film is a poor addition to the line-up and is only saved by the final twenty minutes and the footage of the real Bruce Lee battling his way up the tower. Amazingly this same shoddy process was used to create Game of Death II (1981) (A.K.A. "Game of Death II"), with a look-alike and more stunt doubles interwoven with a few brief minutes of footage of the real Bruce Lee. Tragically his son Brandon Lee , an actor and martial artist like his father, was killed in a freak accident on the set of The Crow (1994). Bruce Lee was not only an amazing athlete and martial artist but he possessed genuine superstar charisma and through a handful of films he left behind an indelible impression on the tapestry of modern cinema.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: firehouse44@hotmail.com Spouse (1) ( 17 August 1964 - 20 July 1973) (his death) (2 children) Trade Mark (8) Often had a scene in his films where in a fight, he gets wounded. Standing stunned, he tastes his own blood and then he goes berserk wiping out any opponent in his path. Made animal sounds when he fought to unnerve his foes and focus his strength. His characters were often proudly Chinese and battled foes who racially oppressed his people as in when he smashed a "No dogs or Chinese allowed" sign with a flying kick Use of Jeet Kun Do, a form of martial arts he invented himself in which freedom of reaction was far more important than rigid form Bowl haircut Lightning fast moves and reflexes Extremely well defined body and muscles In at least one sequence in most of his movies, he would use a nunchaku against his opponents Fighting shirtless Trivia (63) Ranked #100 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.

[October 1997] Died of brain edema in Hong Kong at age 32. He is considered the greatest martial artist of the 20th century. Developed his martial art style called Jeet Kune Do (Way of the Intercepting Fist) which is more of an idea of being flexible and practical with learning martial arts Interred at Lake View Cemetery, Seattle, Washington, USA. While The Green Hornet (1966) TV series was in production, Bruce made several promotional appearances as Kato but made a point to never do the standard martial art stunts like breaking boards, which he felt had nothing to do with what martial arts are about. Bruce Lee Jun Fan Yuen Kam (Bruce Lee's full birth name) was born in the year of the dragon (1940), at the hour of the dragon (between 6:00AM- 8:00AM). Was an accomplished dancer and Hong Kong cha cha cha champion. A noted brawler in Hong Kong, Lee received formal training in wing chun under legendary sifu Yip Man. He later trained in a variety of arts but eventually found classical style limiting and, counter-productive.

He developed Jeet Kune Do which, he stressed, is not a style but a way of approaching martial arts beyond style. It is the forerunner to mix martial arts. Weighed only 128 pounds at the time of his death. Suffered a serious back injury while attempting a good-morning (involves holding a barbell across the shoulders and bending forward, keeping legs and back straight). During his recuperation he wrote several books on the martial arts. His students in Jeet Kune Do martial arts included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Steve McQueen , and James Coburn . His father, Lee Hoi-chuen, was Chinese. His mother, Grace Ho, is described as being of mixed Chinese and European (usually stated as German) descent. His development of Jeet Kune Do came partially out of an incident with his school. A rival martial artist challenged him to a duel over his decision to teach non-Chinese students. Lee accepted the challenge and won the duel but later thought that the fight took too long because his martial art technique was too rigid and formalistic. Thus he decided to develop a better system with an emphasis on practicality and flexibility.

Was constantly challenged by movie extras and other men seeking to gain fame by beating him in a fight. Left for Seattle in 1958 with $100. Gave cha cha cha lessons to first-class passengers to earn extra money during ship ride to US. Was sought after for instruction by established martial artists such as Joe Lewis and Chuck Norris . Faced discrimination from other Chinese kung fu masters when trying to learn other martial arts styles. Would usually go to the number 3 or 4 man in a certain system to learn it in exchange for teaching what he knew. Demand for his private lessons grew so high that his hourly rate soared to $275 per hour. His last movie, Game of Death (1978), was his first film to be shot with sound, unlike most of his earlier films which were filmed without sound and later dubbed in by the actors. Some of the lost footage was later shown in Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey (2000). You can hear his own voice speaking English and Cantonese. Had he not died, his character's name in this movie would have been Hai Tien. Spoke English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Japanese.

Was able to name every single karate term and performed them with dead accuracy. Adopted his legendary nunchaku routine in his movies from the legendary karate master Hidehiko "Hidy" Ochiai. The two met at the Los Angeles YMCA in the mid 1960s. Earned $30,000 for his first two feature films. Developed a trick for showing off his speed: a person held a coin and closed his hand and, as he closed it, Lee would take it and could even swap the coin for another. His death was considered to be under 'extraordinarily bizarre' circumstances by many experts. Many people claimed that it was the work of 'Oni' (Japanese for Demons or evil spirits), while others claimed he was cursed. The theory of the 'Curse of Bruce Lee' carried over to the extremely bizarre death of his son, Brandon Lee , who was shot and killed during the filming of The Crow (1994) in 1993. Before hitting it big as a movie star he often trained with the martial arts world's biggest stars, many of whom would latter become celebrities in their own right, such as world karate champion Chuck Norris .

Despite rumors and reports to the contrary, Lee was never Norris's instructor. They trained together, often trading techniques and ideas, but never had a student-teacher relationship. One of his martial arts students was James Bond star George Lazenby . In his first and only meeting with Enter the Dragon (1973) composer Lalo Schifrin , Bruce told him that he often trains to the Mission: Impossible (1966) theme. Mastered a technique called "The One-Inch Punch", in which he could deliver a devastating blow yet have his fist travel the distance of one mere inch (2.54 cm) before striking an opponent. His first major U.S. project was the role of Kato in the television series The Green Hornet (1966). He joked that he got this role because he was the only Oriental actor who could properly pronounce the lead character's name: "Britt Reid". Mortal Kombat character "Liu Kang" was inspired by him, complete with the characteristic animal noises.

When Elvis Presley 's and Ed Parker 's unfinished martial arts film "New Gladiators" was found in 2003, there was 20 minutes of Lee's demonstration at a martial arts display in the mid-'60s found along with it. Is often honored in video games. In "Mortal Kombat" games, the character Liu Kang was an obvious tribute to Lee. Then, in Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (1993), a character named Fei Long was introduced bearing an uncanny resemblance in both looks and fighting style to Lee. A lesser game, World Heroes (1992), also copied Lee as Kim Dragon. Lastly, the "Tekken" games did the tribute to him not once, but twice. First with Marshall Law, then with his son Forrest Law for the third installment of Tekken. Along with this, his fighting style was honored in Virtua Fighter Remix (1993) with Jacky Bryant, in Dead or Alive (1996) with Jann Lee and in the "Soul Calibur" series as Maxi. (2004 September) Has a statue placed in the country Bosnia.

After many years of war and religious splits, Lee's figure is to commend his work, to successfully bridge culture gaps in the world. His father, Hoi-Chuen Lee (b. February 1901, died February 8, 1965) was a popular stage actor and died 8 days after Brandon Lee was born. Lee was trained by Yip Man from 1954-1957 & Wong Shun-Leung from 1957-1958. Defeated British boxer Gary Elms by knockout in the third round in the 1958 Hong Kong amateur boxing championships by using Wing Chun traps and high/low-level straight punches. Before he met Elms in the finals, he knocked out three boxers in the first round. Hawkings Cheung, his fellow Wing Chun street fighter, witnessed the event. Lee knocked out Wong Jack-Man in Oakland, CA, in a 1965 no-holds-barred challenge match. It was Lee's last official fight. It lasted three minutes. Lee knocked-out Chung, a Choy Li Fut fighter, in Hong Kong in a 1958 Full-Contact match.

The match was refereed by Sheun-Leung Wong . Lee knocked out Uechi in 10 seconds in a 1962 Full-Contact match in Seattle. It was refereed by Jesse Glover . Had four siblings, two sisters and two brothers: Phoebe Lee (b. 1938), Agnes Lee, older brother and fencing champion Peter Lee, and younger brother and musician Robert Lee . Some sources claim he also had a brother James who died of Black Lung in 1972 but James Yimm Lee was in fact his training partner and not his brother. Son of Hoi-Chuen Lee He was a gang leader in his teenage years. The name of his group was known as "The Tigers of Junction Street". UFC President Dana White considers Bruce Lee as "the father of Mixed Martial Arts".

Alongside Muhammad Ali , Lee is cited as a major influence by many K-1 and MMA champions: Bas Rutten , Jose "Pele' Landi-Jons, Wanderlei Silva , 'Emilianenko Fedor', Norifumi "Kid' Yamamoto, Rob Kaman , Ramon Dekkers, Frank Shamrock , Murilo Rua, Maurício Shogun , 'Jerome Le Banner', 'Carlos Newton', Remy Bonjasky , Jeremy Horn , David Loiseau and Tito Ortiz , among others. To mark the occasion of what would have been Lee's 65th birthday (27 November 2005), a bronze statue of a topless Bruce adopting a martial arts stance was unveiled in Hong Kong, effectively kicking off a week-long Bruce Lee festival. In the popular Nintendo game series, Pokémon, the fighting type monster Hitmonlee is based on Lee. According to Hong Kong stuntman Phillip Ko , Lee was challenged by a tiger/crane kung fu stylist, an extra on Enter the Dragon (1973), who claimed Lee was a phony. Lee, who was furious at the claim, accepted the challenge to prove that his martial arts were indeed the real deal.

The fight, which took place on the film set, only lasted 30 seconds, with Bruce pummeling his challenger with a series of straight punches to the face, low-line kicks to his shins/knees/thighs and finally ended with the guy being smashed to the wall with his hair pulled and his arms trapped by Bruce. After Lee forced the kung fu stylist to submit, he showed some class by telling him to go back to work instead of firing him. This fight was witnessed by the film's producer, Fred Weintraub , and Robert Wall . There is a character in the anime and manga Shaman King that is very heavily based on him. Also a character inspired by a Lee-like character appeared in the Yugioh manga. Chosen by Goldsea Asian American Daily as one of the "100 Most Inspiring Asian Americans of All Time". (ranked #2). Once performed a kick so fast it had be slowed down by editors for fear it would look like it was sped up. Was capable of doing push ups with a 250-pound man on his back and could do push-ups with only one finger. Was only 160 pounds at his heaviest.

Bollywood made a song for him as a tribute: "Lets dance for the great guy Bruce Lee", composed by Bappi Lahiri and from the movie Morchha (1980). Bruce Lee was voted as the Greatest Movie Fighter Ever in 2014 by the Houston Boxing Hall Of Fame. The HBHOF is a combat sports voting body composed exclusively of current and former fighters and Martial Artists. In 1972, Bruce Lee's star was rising faster than anybody could have imagined. In the midst of all this, Little Unicorn , Lee's long time friend and confidant was offered a leading role. Lee offered assistance to the man who helped him get back into the Hong Kong film business. The result was Bruce Lee and I (1973), the only film outside his own that Bruce Lee would action-direct and help promote. Apart from Unicorn, they are many co-stars from the Lee's films also.in this film. He was originally going to star in Dragon Flies (1975). After his death, the role went to Yu Wang .

He turned down the lead role in Leng mian hu (1973) in order to make The Way of the Dragon (1972). His role was given to Jimmy Wu . Legend has i that he came up with the concept for Kung Fu (1972) and was going to star in it. However, the network got cold feet about casting an Asian actor in the lead role and it went to David Carradine . But according to the producers, although Lee was consulted and was considered for the role, they created the concept and Carradine was always their first choice. Lee was very upset about this, especially considering that Carradine had no martial arts training. He co-wrote Circle of Iron (1978) with James Coburn with the intent of starring in it. He even met with Roman Polanski in Switzerland in the hopes that he'd direct. After his death, his roles were given to David Carradine . He was originally set to co-star with George Lazenby in Stoner (1974) before his death. The original marketing and tagline of the film was going to be "It's Lee, It's Lazenby, It's Bruce vs.

Bond". Personal Quotes (24) Absorb what is useful, Discard what is not, Add what is uniquely your own. Simplicity is the last step of art. A teacher is never a giver of truth - he is a guide, a pointer to the truth that each student must find for himself. A good teacher is merely a catalyst. When an opportunity in a fight presents itself, "I" don't hit, "it" hits all by itself. Empty your mind. Become formless and shapeless like water. When water is poured into a cup, it becomes the cup. When water is poured into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Be water, my friend. To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person. If you want to understand the truth in martial arts, to see any opponent clearly, you must throw away the notion of styles or schools, prejudices, likes and dislikes, and so forth. Then, your mind will cease all conflict and come to rest. In this silence, you will see totally and freshly. I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.

The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering. Don't think, feel! It is like a finger pointing away to the moon. Don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory. A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough. I don't believe in different ways of fighting now. I mean, unless human beings have 3 arms and 3 legs, then we will have a different way of fighting. But basically we all have two arms and two legs so that is why I believe there should be only one way of fighting and that is no way. If you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it'll spread over into the rest of your life. It'll spread over into your work, into your mortality, into your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. There's no challenge in breaking a board. Boards don't hit back. Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one's potential.

Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable. Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind. Martial art is ultimately an athletic expression of the dynamic human body. More important yet, is the person who is expressing his own soul. I have always been a martial artist by choice, an actor by profession, but above all, am actualising myself to be an artist of life. A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at. The martial arts are ultimately self-knowledge. A punch or a kick is not to knock the hell out of the guy in front, but to knock the hell out of your ego, your fear, or your hang-ups. I'm not in this world to live up to your expectations and you're not in this world to live up to mine. You know what I want to think of myself? As a human being.

Because, I mean I don't want to sound like ask Confucius, sayyyyyy--(joking) but under the sky, under the heaven, man, there is but one family. It just so happens that people are different. First of all, the word superstar really turns me off--and I'll tell you why. The word "star" man, it's an illusion. it's something what the public calls you. You should look upon oneself as an actor, man. I mean you would be very pleased if somebody said (punches his fist into his open hand) "man, you are a super actor!" it is much better than, you know, superstar. Ever since The Big Boss there seems to be a wave, a hot wave in fact, of finding "another Bruce Lee" among all types of people, particularly martial artists. Ranging from karate men, hapkido men, judo men, etcetera, etcetera. Forgetting about whether or not they possess the ability to act, just so long as they can halfway decent kick or punch and know a few tricks or gimmicks, the producers will make them a "star." Now, let's stop about here.

Is it that simple to become a star? Well, I can assure you it's not that simple. Also, I can tell you that as more (of) Bruce Lee's films are shown, the audience will soon realize-not only in acting ability but in physical skill as well-they will see the difference. Of course, "It is only moviemaking," people will say, but certainly the audiences are not so insensitive as to not be able to see and judge for themselves. Salary (4) Bruce Lee exhibition in Hong Kong - CNN.com Hong Kong Heritage Museum to launch a five-year exhibition on Bruce Lee The exhibition "Bruce Lee: Kung Fu. Art. Life" showcases more than 600 artifacts Lee's famous yellow tracksuits, film set recreations and personal notebooks will be featured A kung fu legend, a cha cha champion, a record-breaking filmmaker and a poet. Not one of the world's most random dinner party assemblies, but a single man who became an icon. Bruce Lee was all of those things and a new exhibition in Hong Kong, where Lee spent his childhood and became a martial arts film star, is being launched to celebrate the man and commemorate the 40th anniversary of his death.

" Bruce Lee: Kung Fu. Art. Life " will open in the Hong Kong Heritage Museum on July 20, exactly 40 years after his death. It will run for five years. Lee died on July 20, 1973, at 32, after suffering a reaction to pain medication , according to the Bruce Lee Foundation. The exhibition gathers more than 600 items related to Lee from collectors and various institutions, including more than 400 from the Bruce Lee Foundation -- the largest number of artifacts the foundation has ever lent out. Bruce Lee in "The Way of the Dragon," with Chuck Norris. Among the exhibits are his iconic yellow tracksuit, footage from Lee's eight classic films (including "The Big Boss," "Fists of Fury," "The Way of the Dragon," " Enter the Dragon " and "Game of Death"), the first American magazine cover featuring Lee and the notebook he kept featuring 108 different cha cha dance steps. Lee won Hong Kong's Cha Cha Championship in 1958. The exhibition will recreate scenes from Lee's movies, his gym and his study, and will also house a special collector series showcasing various items from around the world.

The first collection features more than 100 items from U.S. collector Perry Lee, related to the TV series "The Green Hornet," in which Lee starred as Kato. Silver Cheung, a local film art director, will be the art director for the exhibition. The Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers has produced a 75-minute documentary, "The Brilliant Life of Bruce Lee," which will be screened in the museum. Sculptor Chu Tat-shing has created a new 3.5-meter side-kicking statue of Lee and animation artist Shannon Ma will present a 3D hologram animation of Lee's nunchaku moves and kicks. Hong Kong's statue of Bruce Lee is a tourist favorite. The exhibition will run alongside other Bruce Lee programs organized by the museum, the first of which is themed, " The Bruce Lee that Hong Kong knew ." Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee's daughter, will start the program with a gallery talk. Reservations, online or at the door, are required. Online reservations are available from July 4 on the Hong Kong Heritage Museum's website . Bruce Lee: Kung Fu. Art.

Life, July 20, 2013-2018; Hong Kong Heritage Museum , 1 Man Lam Road, Sha Tin, Hong Kong; +852 2180 8188; HK$10 ($1.30) including ticket to the documentary; free admission on Wednesday; open Monday to Sunday, 10 a.m.-6p.m. (weekdays) and 10 a.m.-7p.m. (weekend and public holidays) Bruce Lee | EFLnet Bruce Lee Home / Reading / Reading Exercises / Bruce Lee (from Wikipedia.org) Bruce Lee was born November 27, 1940 in San Francisco. At age 14, Bruce Lee entered La Salle College in Hong Kong, a high school. He attended St Francis Xavier's College from 1957-1959. In 1959, Bruce got into a fight with a feared Triad gang member's son. His father became concerned about his safety and Bruce was sent to the United States to live with an old friend of his father's.

All he had was $100 and the title of 1958 Crown Colony Cha Cha Champion of Hong Kong. After living in San Francisco, he moved to Seattle to work for Ruby Chow, another friend of his father's. In 1959, Lee completed his high school education in Seattle and received his diploma from Edison Technical School. He enrolled at the University of Washington as a Philosophy major. There he met his future wife Linda Emery. Bruce and Linda married in 1964 and had two children together, Brandon Lee (born 1965) and Shannon Lee (born 1969). Bruce Lee died July 20, 1973 in Hong Kong. Lee was a martial artist, instructor, actor, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts system. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and famous martial artists of all time. He is also widely known as the greatest icon of martial arts cinema and a key figure of modern popular culture. In the martial arts folklore, he is considered by many to be the greatest martial artist of all time, including karate legend Joe Lewis and Davis Miller.

Lee's films elevated the traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level and sparked a greater interest in Chinese martial arts in the West. Lee also became iconic to the Chinese, as he portrayed Chinese national pride and Chinese nationalism in his movies. His pioneering efforts paved the way for future martial artists and martial arts actors such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Chuck Norris, bringing martial arts films and actors to the mainstream. Many see Lee as a model blueprint for acquiring a strong and efficient body as well as developing a mastery of martial arts and hand to hand combat skills. Lee began the process of creating his own fighting system known as Jeet Kune Do. Bruce Lee's evaluation of traditional martial arts doctrines is now seen as one of the first steps into popularizing the modern style of mixed martial arts. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License . It uses material from the Wikipedia.org article " Bruce Lee ". Please see the original article for references and footnotes.

Question: Who was the 1958 Cha-Cha champion of Hong Kong?
Answer: Bruce Lee